UN concerned over worsening situation in West Bank
The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the worsening security and humanitarian situation for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, a UN spokesperson said on Tuesday (18/8).
“I can say that we are very concerned about the continued deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Dujarric said that increasing violence, expanding settler presence, severe restrictions on movement and access for Palestinians, and shrinking economic opportunities have become commonplace in the West Bank.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) said that Israeli forces on Monday (17/8) instructed around 10 Palestinian families in the Jabal An Nasr neighbourhood of Tulkarm, in the northern West Bank, to leave their homes for seven hours due to military activity near the nearby Nur Shams Palestinian refugee camp.
“Israeli military bulldozers dug up sections of the road, damaged water networks and sewage lines, and carried out excavation work on Palestinian land before withdrawing,” UN OCHA said.
“The families reportedly returned to their homes, and municipal workers repaired the damaged infrastructure after Israeli security forces withdrew,” the UN humanitarian office said.
In Gaza, UN OCHA said its partners are also concerned about the impact of ongoing military activity on civilians.
The office said its partners reported airstrikes, artillery shelling, gunfire, and naval fire, particularly west of the so-called Yellow Line, where most of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents are confined to an area less than half the size of the Gaza Strip.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Monday that Gaza’s agricultural capacity has been destroyed. A new assessment found that only 3 per cent of farmland remains accessible and undamaged, further weakening local food production and farmers’ livelihoods.
Despite the ongoing military activity and restrictions, the UN and its partners continue to deliver aid, support essential services, and facilitate critical humanitarian operations wherever possible, UN OCHA said.